The Athletics made their second major trade in three weeks, sending outfielder and fan favorite Nick Swisher to the Chicago White Sox for three minor leaguers on Thursday. The A’s – who dealt ace Dan Haren to Arizona on Dec. 14 – received left-hander Gio Gonzalez and right-hander Fautino De Los Santos, along with outfielder Ryan Sweeney.
The White Sox are hoping that the addition of Swisher will help them rebound from a 72-90 season and get back to the level they were at when they won the 2005 World Series.
The 27-year-old Swisher batted .262 with 22 homers and 78 RBIs in 150 games in 2007, his third full big league season. He also drew 100 walks, ranking him sixth in the AL, for a career-best .381 on-base percentage. Swisher’s patience could be an important addition to the White Sox, who were last in the majors in 2007 with a .318 on-base percentage.
The 21-year-old De Los Santos was ranked the top prospect in the Chicago farm system by Baseball Prospectus. The right-hander went 10-5 with a 2.65 ERA for Class-A Kannapolis and Class-A Winston Salem. He was picked as the South Atlantic League’s top prospect.
Gonzalez, a 22-year-old lefty, pitched for Double-A Birmingham last year and led minor league baseball with 185 strikeouts. He went 9-7 with a 3.18 ERA in 27 starts.
Sweeney, a 22-year-old left fielder, hit .270 with 10 home runs and 47 RBIs in 105 games at Triple-A Charlotte last season. He also batted .200 with a homer and five RBIs in 15 games in the majors.
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